Volunteers are being sought to help spruce up some neighborhoods in Hampton.

According to Hampton City Councilman Steve Hutchison, a "Friends of Hampton" clean-up campaign is planned for today, and May 16, from 9 a.m., to 3 p.m.

Individuals interested in participating in the campaign can meet at Hampton City Hall, 17 East Main Street, at 8:45 a.m., before going out to the clean-up sites, Hutchison said.

The city will support the initiative by providing Dumpsters, he continued, and the volunteers will spread out and pick up trash, debris, old furniture, and other items which can be disposed of.

Hutchison said the campaign to rid the area of litter is part of an effort to beautify the city.

"We're taking everything," he said. "We'll take batteries, old paint cans, and tires."

Last year, Hutchison said, Hampton completed a $580,000 Department of Transportation Streetscape Project in its downtown area, which involved pouring new sidewalks, putting up new lamp posts and laying down brick crosswalks.

In keeping with the movement of revitalization, he continued, efforts to tidy up will provide the "tender loving care" some areas in the community need.

Keeping the city free of litter could also encourage more visitors, he added. "If we clean up our community and make it look good, people will want to come to Hampton," Hutchison said.